An inventor from Israel – Izhar Gafni recently has presented a functioning bicycle, which is wholly made out of recycled cardboard with production costs equal to merely 9 USD.
The inventor himself recently heard of a man who had built a canoe out of lightweight material. This particular idea didn’t give a rest to Izhar, and, eventually, as his inspiration grew, he thought of making a bicycle out of cardboard. He spoke with different Israeli engineers, who stood on the argument that the engineering pioneer work could not be accomplished.
The creation of a cardboard bike is not an easy task to handle. After significant research on cardboard construction engineering had been carried out, the inventor found that by using Japanese origami principles, he could increase the weight-bearing capabilities of the prototype by almost three times.
The invention itself went through a lot of prototyping, testing and improvement. The finished raw carcass is coated with resin for protection of the material. You wouldn’t say the bike is made out of cardboard at first sight. The final origami bike’s version has a waterproof frame capable of carrying up to 275 kilograms.
The origami bicycle redefines the idea of environment friendly transportation in every way. The invention is a masterpiece of marketing pollution prevention, while encouraging people to exercise.
The market price for the origami bike is likely to be around 60 to 90 USD.
The invention could eventually make its way to potential customers all around the world, as Izhar Gafni is already working with investors to ensure that it is ready for worldwide distribution in late 2013.
